Wichita, Kan., Jun 24, 2009 / 07:15 am (CNA).- The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is preparing to investigate an alleged miracle in Wichita, Kansas, where doctors are baffled by the unexplained recovery of a young man who had suffered a severe head injury in an accident that had broken his skull.

When her 20-year-old son Chase was seriously injured in a pole-vaulting accident on October 2, Paula Kear and her family began to pray fervently for the intercession of Fr. Emil Kapaun, and asked their friends to do the same.

It was my sister who had the presence of mind, on the night of the accident, to ask if we should put Chase on the Church prayer line to pray to Fr. Kapaun, Paula explained to CNA. The family also added Chase to the CaringBridge website and had prayer cards printed out to distribute to people at the hospital.

Chases father, Paul Kear, told The Wichita Eagle that the family was informed that it was really severe, and that he had fractured his skull from ear to ear, and that there was some bleeding on his brain. The Kears were told by the doctors that they didnt have a lot of hope for Chase, and that he would likely die either in the necessary surgery to remove the damaged piece of his skull or from an infection after the surgery.

Asked how she first heard about Fr. Emil Kapaun, Paula said his story is commonly known in the Wichita area. My parents were about the same age as Fr. Kapaun, so I heard his name a lot growing up, she told CNA.

We have a prayer in our parish to Fr. Kapaun that we have prayed for several years, Paula added. She said that the prayer for Kapauns intercession was said every day at Mass.

Friends and family of the Kears joined in praying to Fr. Kapuan. Copies of the prayer were passed around and e-mailed, said Paula. Everyone was praying.

Miraculously, Chase survived the surgery and walked out of the hospital only a few weeks after the accident that had broken his skull. It was shortly after we got to the rehab hospital and I just saw these people that work there just amazed, Paula told The Wichita Eagle. The doctors were unable to explain the recovery, Chases parents added.

To members of the Kear family, the reason is clear. It was a miracle, Paula told CNA. Absolutely a miracle.

Chase has made a nearly-full recovery and is currently working a summer job and planning to coach pole-vaulting.

Devotion to Fr. Kapuan is strong in the Diocese of Wichita, whose website includes information about his case for canonization.

Father Emil Kapaun was a Wichita priest and Army chaplain born in Kansas, about 60 miles north of Wichita. During the Korean War, he was assigned to the U.S. Army's Eighth Cavalry regiment, which was overrun in late 1951 by the Chinese army in North Korea.

Kapaun courageously rescued wounded soldiers from the battlefield, risking his own life to save them from execution at the hands of the Chinese. Later taken as a prisoner of war, he heroically worked to tend to the starving and sick, praying for and ministering to his fellow prisoners.

Eventually suffering from a blood clot in his leg, Kaupan was moved to a hospital but denied medical assistance. He died in May 1951, two years before the end of the war.

Surviving soldiers praised Kapaun for his courage and faith. His story has been celebrated in Wichita for years, with local parishes praying to him and a Wichita high school named after him.

Fr. John Hotze, the judicial vicar of Wichita, explained to CNA that the diocese has been working with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on Fr. Kapauns case for over a year. This coming Friday, the Congregation will begin its investigation into the alleged miracle in Wichita, moving the process for beatification forward.

Lord Jesus,in the midst of the folly of war,your servant, Chaplain Emil Kapaunspent himself in total service to youon the battlefields and in the prison camps of Korea,until his death at the hands of his captors.

We now ask you, Lord Jesus,if it be your will,to make known to all the worldthe holiness of Chaplain Kapaun and theglory of his complete sacrifice for you bysigns of miracles and peace.

In your name, Lord, we ask,for you are the source of peace,the strength of our service to others,and our final hope.

Amen

Chaplain Kapaun, pray for us.

3
posted on 06/24/2009 4:16:54 PM PDT
by NYer
("Run from places of sin as from a plague." - St. John Climacus)

I’ve read a book about Fr. Kapaun. I cannot immediately recall the title, but I havn’t forgotten how inspiring it was. There is no doubt in my mind that Fr. Kapaun is a saint, and I’d love to see it become official.

“A Shepherd in Combat Boots,” by William Maher. Excellent book, not only about Fr. Kapaun, but about the circumstances of the Korean War. Supplements the recent comprehensive history of the Korean War (The Coldest Winter) quite effectively.

25
posted on 06/25/2009 4:26:06 AM PDT
by Tax-chick
(O hai. Do I need you for something right now?)

Actually, he may be in Purgatory or he may be in Heaven. God judges us each uniquely. Some souls are in Purgatory for a very short time and then brought to Heaven. Some souls will be in Purgatory expiating their sins until the end of time.

Given that this good and heroic man showed the greatest form of love by risking his life for others, and then suffered terribly at the end of his life. I’d put my money on the fact that he’s probably in Heaven by now.

There are lots of souls in Heaven who have not been officially canonized as saints. They are all saints. The canonized ones are just the ones we are sure are in Heaven.

28
posted on 06/25/2009 3:40:22 PM PDT
by Melian
("Now, Y'all without sin can cast the first stone." ~H.I. McDunnough)

It has now become commonplace, after someone has died, for Catholics to proclaim "He's in heaven now". I have heard of priests actually making such comments during funeral Masses. This is post-Vatican II feel-good Protestant thinking, and it is wrong.

The fact is that nobody knows the state of anyone's soul upon their death. Not you, not me, not their priest. Nobody.

To assume that anyone has immediately entered heaven after their death is to suggest that prayer for the repose of their soul is unnecessary. As a result, many beneficial prayers are left unsaid for those in Purgatory.

Agreed. I was reacting to the statement that he was in Purgatory. We don’t know that either. He could have gone straight to Heaven.

I agree with you that we don’t really know how God judges us after death or how many souls need Purgatory. When I pray for someone who’s died, I always ask God to apply my prayers to that person, but, if that person doesn’t need them, to apply them to someone who has no one to pray for him while he’s in Purgatory. I’m pretty sure most of us will need Purgatory for at least a brief visit!

31
posted on 06/26/2009 4:01:16 PM PDT
by Melian
("Now, Y'all without sin can cast the first stone." ~H.I. McDunnough)

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